SBI: Officer justified in shooting alleged Craven Co. gunman

Investigators have released a timeline of what they believe happened during the shooting spree in Craven County Tuesday afternoon. In addition, authorities have identified all three victims and charged the suspect.

VANCEBORO, CRAVEN COUNTY -

The State Bureau of Investigation has concluded that a Vanceboro officer was justified in shooting a man who allegedly shot and injured three people in Craven County.

District Attorney Scott Thomas announced Friday that based on analysis of the scene and interviews with witnesses, Officer Jason Lovick was justified in shooting 82-year-old John Aites Jenkins, who allegedly did not respond to orders to stop firing. The suspect suffered injuries to his head and face.

Jenkins is accused of shooting three men on Streets Ferry near Vanceboro on Aug. 20. Deputies said two of the victims were trimming trees when they were shot; the third victim was directing drivers away from the area when he was hit. All three have since been treated and released from the hospital.

The district attorney said Jenkins himself was released from Vidant Medical Center Thursday and is being held under a $2,000,000 bond at the Division of Adult Correction in Raleigh.

Immediately following his release from the hospital, Jenkins was charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, four counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, one count of discharging a weapon into occupied property, and one count of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official.

If Jenkins is able to post his $2,000,000 bond, several conditions have been placed:

Jenkins must be under house arrest electronic monitoring.

Jenkins must surrender any and all firearms to law enforcement

Jenkins must surrender his driver’s license and not drive any vehicle while the case is pending.

Jenkins must not use, possess or consume alcohol or any controlled substance while the case is pending

Jenkins must not contact any of the victims pending trial.

According to Thomas, if the suspect violates any of those conditions, he will be re-arrested.

Jenkins had his first court appearance Thursday. His next appearance is scheduled for Sept. 19.

THE DAY OF THE SHOOTING:

According to Sheriff Jerry Monette, the shooting spree started at about 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 20, when 38-year-old Angelo Tavares Williams and 41-year-old Brian Lee Holden were trimming trees at 2115 Streets Ferry Rd. That was when Jenkins approached in a pickup truck, investigators said.

Jenkins then pulled out a shotgun and fired at the two men, said deputies. Williams was hit in his face and Holden was hit in his mid-torso. Jenkins also allegedly shot Holden with a revolver.

Afterwards, Jenkins drove to another location on Streets Ferry Road, where two bucket trucks were located, and fired shots at the workers in the buckets, authorities said. Those workers were not hit.

Caller: "I'm in the back of somebody's yard hiding behind trees. He's shooting another man now. He's taking careful aim and he's shooting in the bucket. The man's in the air. He's trapped."

Officer Lovick and a Craven County deputy responded to the scene and ordered Jenkins to step out of his truck, said investigators. But Jenkins did not respond and continued driving down Streets Ferry Road, according to authorities.

During that time, 73-year-old Billy Arthur Dail, who lives on the road, was directing drivers away from the shooting area. But Jenkins, while sitting in his truck, fired his shotgun at Dail, hitting the victim on the side of his head, face and hand, investigators said.

NewsChannel 12 spoke with Dail's daughter-in-law, Lacey, who said she was getting out of her car when she heard gunshots.

"I was walking over to the neighbors and I see my father-in-law roll and fall to the ground," said Lacey.

At that point, Officer Lovick fired at Jenkins while he was still in his truck, investigators said. The suspect suffered injuries on the side of his head and face before being released from the hospital Thursday.

The three victims who Jenkins allegedly shot were also treated at Vidant Medical Center and were released. Williams and Holden, both of Vanceboro, work for Townsend Corporation, a vegetation management company based in Indiana. They were trimming trees around power lines under a contract for Duke Energy when they were shot, a company official said.

Sheriff Monette said although a motive in the shooting is unknown, he believes the suspect had some sort of emotional stress that he took out on the victims.